


One Day

by AlternativeRocker



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: Angst, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Ficlet Collection, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-18
Updated: 2016-06-18
Packaged: 2018-07-15 17:37:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7232146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlternativeRocker/pseuds/AlternativeRocker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>or: Five Times Phryne Fisher Wakes Up Alone and One Time She Doesn't</p><p>Small snapshots from across Phryne's life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Day

**i**

_"Janey! Janey, where are you?! This isn't a game."_

_The circus was their favourite place on the planet - what little they knew of it, admittedly - but in this single moment everything had changed. She wouldn't have ran away but what was the alternative? Unthinkable. She would be around the next corner, she must have got bored and went to make her own fun._

_Nothing._

_She ran around the familiar tents once again, hoping there was a crate or a hidden entrance that she had never noticed before, keeping her sister out of sight._

_Still nothing._

_Her voice raised in pitch and volume, without consideration that she was making her position known to a threat. But Janey mattered more._

Phryne jolted awake, her whole body shaking as the memories continued to play on a loop in her mind. It was several months since that day yet she could recall every detail of it, down to the smell of the grass as the evening began to take hold and the feel of her heart pounding against her ribcage.

The wrong person had disappeared - after all the attempts to magic away her father it had been lost in translation somewhere along the line and now her Janey was gone. Her sweet, perfect, cherished sister. Why did it have to be her; she was the quiet half of their partnership, she only went along with Phryne's ideas because her big sister could do no wrong in her eyes. Janey had done nothing to deserve this and everyone now looked at Phryne, she thought, as if they wished for the sisters to be swapped.

Life was turning to a variation of normality that Phryne wanted no part in. She had never believed waking up in bed alone could cause such painful emotions each and every time but this was what she faced. The faith she had once possessed had taken a severe knock, however, as she curled her knees up to her chest, she prayed that one day the flashbacks vanished and that she would share a bed with a loved one.

 

**ii**

She knew she had reached the lowest ebb that she had ever been at. It was socially questionable to go to bed with a man when not married. It was worse if you had just met said man two hours prior and didn't know if the name he gave was real or not. Phryne had only drifted off to sleep a short time before yet her companion had managed to disappear in this interlude, not that she was surprised - the few who did stay until morning quickly understood that they could have spent those hours more fruitfully as she did not entertain a second time.

She could pass it off by saying she was only going to turn twenty-five years old once and that this encounter was to celebrate. In truth, however, she could not recall how many times she had woke up following similar evenings in recent months. Paris itself was beautiful but the dark undercurrents one could find easily diminished the positives. She knew this was all her doing, she didn't even charge for her actions which made it even more obvious she should walk away. One day she would, one day she would make a more dignified reputation for herself and find something to occupy her mind that was useful to not only herself.

This was reckless and highly dangerous, she understood that, but no matter how hard she tried there was a need to escape herself. She had enjoyed occasional carnal pleasures prior to this but now she craved the release more than it could ever satisfy. The overwhelming return of her grief had been a surprise and had taken over her entire being during an operetta a week after the latest anniversary of the disappearance. She had ran from the hall as fast as possible and into the arms of the first, somewhat attractive, willing male.

Lifting a small hand mirror to her face she stared in disgust at what looked back - the dark powder originally surrounding her eyes was smeared down her cheeks and her lips were swollen from the roughness of the man she had met. This was not her, but then, she didn't know who Phryne Fisher was supposed to be.

 

**iii**

When would she learn that Elizabeth MacMillan was bad for her, or more precisely that the liquor she acquired for them was bad for her? They saw each other so rarely though that they always decided to make amends for lost time. Mac was in Britain for a year, working in a hospital in the north of England, but was only in London for a week - this was the result from the first day.

She groaned, facedown on her pillow, head pounding if she so much as considered any movement. She had not come back home with anyone, several offers had been made but she was more interested in ensuring her friend had a good time. Mac, however, had became more amorous with a woman they had met in the club - not quite having the same kind considerations as the flirting intensified. Phryne knew she was good at finding partners but a tipsy Mac was in a different league. They were supposed to be going out again tonight but whether Mac would leave whoever's bed - and if Phryne herself could rise - would require a large amount of willpower.

Twisting her head around to face the door in the hope of magically moving across the room she saw a jug of water on the small wooden table next to the bed. She had no idea where that had appeared from, she wasn't one to wake and be in need of quenching a thirst during a night, but maybe in her drunken state she had assumed it would be in good foresight. Unlikely but possible. A more agreeable option was that she had left the front door unlocked and someone had entered. It could contain poison if that was the case but the intruder surely would have smothered her whilst she was sleeping or at least something less blatant than this. She wouldn't put it past her good doctor to have got back at some ludicrous time that even Phryne hadn't lasted awake until, and thoughtfully left some liquid to hydrate with. She reached out and dragged herself to the empty glass and poured some, the chilled freshness shocking her tongue and the roof of her mouth. Much preferable to the morning kiss by a companion she had no vested interest in.

 

**iv**

A lady detective, she did like the sound of that. It would allow for her to use her brain for challenges and to play against the police's ideas as no doubt they would cross paths again. Phryne rolled over her large bed and toyed with the business card the detective inspector had given her. Jack Robinson was an unexpected find, already more intriguing than anything she had expected on her voyage back to the Antipodes. The country itself had altered a little from what she remembered although she wasn't sure if the images in her mind had been real or if everything here had been tainted and uncertain after Janey. Whatever the case, being back was vastly more positive than some of her predictions had foresaw.

The after-effects of the long journey and diving straight into a murder investigation were beginning to take their toll and she felt exhaustion setting in. The glaring sunlight from through the window alerted her to the fact it was almost certainly afternoon rather than early hours of a day but she had nowhere else to be and an extra few minutes of napping sounded glorious. Her dreams still haunted her from time to time but being less than conscious still had a preferable safety about it which she basked in. Phryne quickly fell back into a deep sleep with a small smile on her lips at the thought that this was the start of a new life she couldn't have imagined. The world was apparently expanding every with every single beat of a heart but she believed this may be the perfect location for her.

 

**v**

She could hear Mr Butler entering the room down the corridor that Jack was sleeping in, following the excessive nerve tonic consumption. She decided to stay a little longer in bed before going down to join her father for breakfast and hoped Jack would agree to join them, but knowing him he would feel his dignity had been decimated by the evening before. The 'endless parade' comment had stung. Phryne was not ashamed of her conquests but she hated causing him the feelings of inadequacy that were painfully clear the night before. She'd give them up in a heartbeat if Jack would let her under his guard. Not that he was the only one at fault, she knew she wound him up more than necessary but these days that was only to keep him at a safer distance. Except she wasn't sure anywhere would create a safe distance between them - she had still managed to think of him constantly, including mornings like this where she'd wish she could feel his touch on her skin.

She didn't want Jack to be as liberal as he thought she desired. He wouldn't be the person she had unwittingly fallen for if he were any other way. The playful bickering between them was never intended to develop as it had and it scared her to feel so strongly for a person unconnected by blood.

He was just along the hall. It would take less than ten seconds to be standing in front of the door. She could offer all that she had to him and hope that he accepted her. She could; but she wouldn't.

 

**vi**

Phryne shuffled backwards under the covers until she could get no closer to the body whose arms had been around her waist all night. The unspoken protection offered by his touch was new to her as was most nuances of this relationship but she found herself at a loss in nights when she didn't feel it due to his work or other such irksome factors. The contact tightened and kisses were dropped to the side of her neck which she leaned into with a content sigh. Neither realised why they had woken simultaneously until the voice of Dot travelled through the door again.

"Miss Fisher, Hugh is at the door wondering if the Inspector is planning to make an appearance at the police station any time today?"

Phryne turned so that they were facing each other, drawing patterns across his chest with her fingernails. Jack was lost momentarily by her presence - a feature of his every morning now that they had returned from London in joint harmony. "Damn!" He muttered when his brain finally made sense of the clock hands behind her shoulder. He was well over an hour late which was unheard of for him - his natural alarm woke him every day at the same time and most colleagues knew this.

"Tell darling Hugh that the Inspector will be otherwise occupied for, oh, another hour or so." Dot had expected a response such as this, and had warned her husband not to hope for anything more, and sighed in resignation. She found it wildly romantic that they had finally admitted their feelings but it was exhausting to be the go-between with them and the bigger world.

Back in the bedroom, Jack pushed himself up to a sitting position, "Phryne, I can't-"

She covered his mouth with a forefinger, "Hush, the young pair of Collins' would be a lot more impatient if there was anything that needed our urgent inclusion." Her other hand was moving further down his abdomen and he swallowed hard, sensing his resolve was about to crumble.

" _Our_? I only heard them ask for my plans, nothing about an amateur sleuth."

"I'll show you amateur!" She grinned that wicked smirk of hers and pressed their lips together. Kissing Jack just after waking was an action which she doubted she could tire of - depending on their moods the contact ranged from lazy and luxurious to heated and desperate, each as pleasurable as the others. Sleep was once the way to while away morning hours for her, yet now on days like this she could not wait to wake up.


End file.
